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What exactly is the Anthropocene epoch?
The word Anthropocene itself is derived from the Greek words anthropo' and '''cene'. ''It was the biologist Eugene Stormer and the chemist Paul Crutzen who came up with the word ''Anthropocene in 2000https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/anthropocene/. The Anthropocene epoch is a result of human activity since the humankind has a great influence on the environment, climate and ecology of the planet. Furthermore, with the human population increasing rapidly throughout the years, it has resulted in an increase of an exploitation of the Earth's resources. As Crutzen stated in 2002, about 30-50% of the planet's land surface is being exploited by humansCrutzen, Paul J., "Geology of Mankind" (2002), Nature: 415. Throughout the years, tropical forests have been disappearing in a rapid pace, different animal species are becoming extinct and releasing of carbon dioxide has increased. In addition, the use of energy has been increase by 16-fold within the twentieth century which has lead to 160 million tonnes of atmospheric sulphur dioxide emissions per year and that is twice the sum of its natural emissionsCrutzen, Paul J., "Geology of Mankind" (2002), Nature: 415. The human activities will have significant consequences for the planet. As Crutzen stated in 2002, some of the consequences could be acid precipitation, photochemical 'smog' and climate warmingCrutzen, Paul J., "Geology of Mankind" (2002), Nature: 415. ' ''Anthropocene on the Geological Time Scale The estimated start of the Anthropocene epoch is estimated to have begun in the late 1800th century as analysis of air trapped in polar ice revealed the beginning of a growing global concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methaneCrutzen, Paul J., "Geology of Mankind" (2002), ''Nature: 415: p. 23. On a geological time scale, the Anthropocene's position is debatable; it is either considered to same as the Holocene by some scientists or a more recent epoch by others. According to Crutzen, it seems appropriate to assign it to the present on the geological time-scale supplementing the Holocene, a warmer period of the past 10 -12 millennia. The Preceding Epoch The Holocene epoch precedes the Anthropocene epoch, however, it is important to mention that Holocene epoch is what is accepted as being the current epoch. This epoch can be divided into three ages: the Greenlandian Age, the Northgrippian Age and the Meghalayan Agehttps://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/holocene-vs-anthropocene-debate/. Just like the Anthropocene epoch, the Holocene epoch is coincided by human activity. Other Suggestive Alternatives Although the scientific name of this geological era is the Anthropocene, like the eras of the dinosaurs were called the Triassic, the Jurassic and the Cretaceous, there is another term for the human age. The Holocene epoch is the geological period going as far back as almost 12.000 years and up until present day. To make it easier to pinpoint, this epoch stretches all the way back to the start of the Palaeolithic Ice Age which can be defined as, "The New Period."https://www.livescience.com/28219-holocene-epoch.html The Anthropocene in literary context When looking at the Anthropocene epoch's influence in a literary context, then it has had a profound influence on genres such as speculative fiction, utopian/dystopian studies, nuclear fiction, Marxism, postcolonial literature, criticism, performance studies, comics and last but not graphic novels.De Cristofaro, D., and Cordle, D., 2018. Introduction: The Literature of the Anthropocene. C21 Literature: Journal of 21st-century Writings , 6(1): 1, pp. 1–6, DO Ihttps://c21.openlibhums.org/article/id/511/ - published 12 February 2018 Example of works inspired or influenced by the Anthropocene are: "Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer, published on the 4th February, 2014 - the first book in a series of three books called the Southern Reach Trilogy. "New York 2140" by Kim Stanley Robinson, published on the 4th March, 2017. Reference list Category:Era Category:Epoch